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Think Like a Rocket Scientist!

Jan 25, 2022 | Our Community of Learners

This fall, Head of School Dr. Rodney De Jarnett hosted a special Zoom assembly presentation for Middle and Upper School students with the best-selling author Ozan Varol (Think Like a Rocket Scientist).
All parents/guardians of D-E students were also invited and encouraged to attend.
On the right are excerpts from a letter sent by Dr. De Jarnett to introduce Varol to our community prior to this memorable virtual gathering.

To learn more about Ozan Varol and his book, Think Like a Rocket Scientist, visit www.ozanvarol.com

An Excerpt of a Letter from Head of School Dr. De Jarnett introducing Ozan Varol

An Excerpt of a Letter from Head of School Dr. De Jarnett introducing Ozan Varol

“… always looking for inspiration and new ideas when life and work are especially challenging, I have found Ozan Varol’s book to be one of the best books I have read of late.

So who is this author Ozan Varol? Borrowing from various online resources including his website page (ozanvarol.com/about), he IS (actually) “a rocket scientist, award-winning law professor, and author of non-fiction books. A native of Istanbul, Turkey, Ozan grew up in a family of no English speakers. He moved to the US by himself at 17 to attend Cornell University and major in planetary sciences. While there, he served on the operations team for the 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers project that sent two rovers to Mars. He later became a law professor to influence others to make interplanetary leaps on this planet. Varol has written numerous award-winning articles that are taught in colleges and graduate schools. His work has been featured in domestic and foreign media, including BBC, Time, CNN, Washington Post, Slate, and Foreign Policy.”

It’s worth pointing out too that reviewers and fellow authors of note — including Dan Pink (A Whole New Mind) , Adam Grant (Think Again) and Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point) — all have also raved about Varol’s book. “

US MultiCultural (INSPIRE Club) Assembly Highlights

US MultiCultural (INSPIRE Club) Assembly Highlights

This week the Upper School (US) INSPIRE student organization, focused on identity and culture, hosted a Multicultural Showcase. INSPIRE leaders Asher Cohen ’25, Musashi Shabazz ’25, Maya Jarrett ’25, and Cameron Gennardo ’26 gave opening remarks introducing the eight...

MS South Asian Cultural Showcase Assembly Highlights

MS South Asian Cultural Showcase Assembly Highlights

The celebration of South Asian culture continued this week during the Middle School (MS) Assembly, where the focus was on India and the diversity within its 28 states. Following a lovely rendition of the national song of India, students learned about Bollywood (it...

LS South Asian Culture Exhibit Highlights

LS South Asian Culture Exhibit Highlights

Namaste! Lower School students enjoyed a South Asian Culture Exhibit today in Hajjar Auditorium, with interactive stations where they could explore the arts, jewelry, clothing, and artifacts of India and surrounding countries. They had a chance to color mandalas, get...

D-E Faculty/Staff Share Learnings on AI in Education

D-E Faculty/Staff Share Learnings on AI in Education

The future is here! Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education was the theme of a recent Professional Development Day for all faculty and staff. In her opening remarks, Interim Head of School Preeti Fibiger declared, “To ‘meet the challenges of a changing world,’ we need to understand what those changes are.” This made spotlighting rapidly evolving AI technologies a natural choice for our community.

Sessions were interactive and offered opportunities to engage in productive discussions about how students can use AI most effectively. When used correctly, “AI builds confidence with students to write a strong paper,” noted Ms. Diane Christian (D-E English Department faculty member) during her session on thesis writing with AI.

The day concluded with a student panel discussion, moderated by Soham Bafana ’25, and featuring Sylvie Yao ’27, Jared Mosseri ’27, Reya Shah ’27, and Lucas Brown ’25, who gave their perspectives on using AI in the classroom, such as the idea that AI can help visual learners. Ultimately, said Mr. Justin Weiner (D-E History Department faculty member), during his session on deepfakes, “AI won’t remove the human touch.

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